John Herbert Best (born March 27, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward/center listed at 6-foot-8, he played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...

for 4 years, and in his senior year he ranked 3rd in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

in scoring with an average of 28.5 points per game. He was selected by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in the second round of the

1993 NBA draft The 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Ho ...

(36th overall), but he was cut before the beginning of the

1993–94 NBA season The 1993–94 NBA season was the 48th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Houston Rockets defeating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's first championship. Notable occurre ...

and started his professional career in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. After playing in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Best joined

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

team

Bayer Giants Leverkusen Bayer Giants Leverkusen is a professional basketball club, part of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen sports club based in Leverkusen, Germany. It currently plays in ProA, the second division of German basketball. Based on the number of titles, Leverku ...

where he was the

Basketball Bundesliga Top Scorer The Basketball Bundesliga Top Scorer award for the highest scorer of each season of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throws or field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of ...

in 2001 with an average of 22.9 points per game. He then participated in the

2003–04 Euroleague The 2003–04 Euroleague was the fourth season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 47th season of the premier competition for European men's clu ...

with

Alba Berlin Alba Berlin is a German professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Mercedes ...

and retired after three more seasons in France with

Élan Chalon Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...

High school career

Best grew up in Neptune, New Jersey and then moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

with his family in 1987, before his junior year of high school. While being at

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townshi ...

he had not played in the varsity basketball team; he later had a 6 inches

growth spurt Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. It is measured using a stadiometer, in centimetres when using the metric system or SI system, or feet and inches when u ...

and when at

Whitehaven High School Memphis City Schools (MCS) was the school district operating public schools in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was headquartered in the Frances E. Coe Administration Building. On March 8, 2011, residents voted to disband the ci ...

in Memphis he played two years in the varsity team. In his senior season at Whitehaven he averaged 21.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.

College career

Best signed for Tennessee Tech in April 1989. He wasn't cleared to play until November because his old high school in New Jersey had not given a final certification for a science course taken in the 9th grade: after the school provided the certification, Best became eligible. While at Tennessee Tech he chose to wear number 25 and he played mostly

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

during his college career. In his freshman season he played 15 games (no starts) and averaged 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game, receiving limited playing time; he also won the Golden Eagle Award given by Tennessee Tech every year to players who showed "sacrifice, dedication and hard work": he received the award together with his teammate Mitch Cupples. After the graduation of forward Earl Wise, the 1989–90 top scorer at Tennessee Tech, coach Frank Harrell gave Best a spot in the starting lineup, and he led the team during his sophomore season, recording a team-best 13.9 points per game. In a preseason game on November 23, 1990 against Bethel he recorded a then career-high 32 points.''2018–19 Tennessee Tech Men's Basketball Media Guide'', p. 56. Best went on to average 5.3 rebounds (second on the team behind Jerome Rodgers) and 0.9 steals (second behind

Van Usher Van Usher (born February 27, 1970) is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles from 1989 to 1992. A point guard, he holds school and Ohi ...

). Best's junior season saw him start 27 out of 29 games, averaging 32 minutes per game and record a team-leading 20 points per game. His 7 rebounds per game placed him second behind Charles Edmondson, and he ranked third in steals behind Usher and Edmondson. At the end of the season he was an All- OVC selection,''2018–19 Tennessee Tech Men's Basketball Media Guide'', p. 130. as he ranked third in the entire conference in scoring behind Division I scoring champion

Brett Roberts Brett Roberts (born March 24, 1970) is a former American basketball player best remembered for leading NCAA Division I in scoring as a senior in 1991–92 and then getting selected by the Sacramento Kings in that year's NBA draft, although ...

and

Popeye Jones Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones (born June 17, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Born in Dresden, ...

. Best was named team capitain for his senior year.''2018–19 Tennessee Tech Men's Basketball Media Guide'', p. 66. On December 12, 1992 in a game against

Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

he recorded a new career-high of 36 points; on January 9, 1993 against

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

he improved his career best with 38 points, and equalled it on January 30 against

Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, ...

. He recorded his career-high of 42 points playing against

Morehead State Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ea ...

on February 22, 1993. He led the NCAA in 2-point field goals with 292, led the OVC in total points (799, also an all-time record for Tennessee Tech) and points per game (28.5), which also ranked him 3rd in the entire Division I and 2nd all-time in Tennessee Tech history behind Jimmy Hagan's 1958–59 season (28.8). At the end of the 1992–93 season he was named in the All-OVC team, NABC All-Region and All-District teams, and in the ''Basketball Weekly'' All-Region team. He ranks 4th all-time for points scored at Tennessee Tech with 1,773 in 97 games. In 2018, he was named an OVC basketball legend.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 15 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .429 , , .000 , , .708 , , 1.7 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 3.1 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 25 , , 25 , , 22.1 , , .547 , , .111 , , .754 , , 5.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 27 , , 32.0 , , .568 , , .188 , , .710 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" ,

, 28 , , 28 , , 36.0 , , .553 , , .222 , , .749 , , 8.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 28.5 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 97 , , 80 , , 26.6 , , .557 , , .186 , , .737 , , 6.9 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 21.0 , -

Professional career

After the end of his senior season, Best was automatically eligible for the

, during which he was selected by the

with the 9th pick in the second round (36th overall). He participated in the preseason camp with the Nets, but was cut before the beginning of the

and moved to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, signing for

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

club Le Mans Sarthe. In 1993–94 he played 17 games in the

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

with Le Mans, averaging 18.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 51% from the field in 35.4 minutes per game. He played in the

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

in 1994 with the

Westchester Stallions The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

; in 1995 he moved to

Piratas de Quebradillas The Piratas de Quebradillas is a Puerto Rican basketball team, part of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Founded in the mid 1920s, it is one of the original teams of the league. The club enjoyed its most successful era during the 1970s, ...

in the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

, where he appeared in 5 games averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds and 0.8 assists, and then played for the San Miguel Beerman of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. In 1995–96 he played with Chorale Roanne in the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the French basketball league system, 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since t ...

, the second level of French basketball. He joined

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

club

Fribourg Olympic Fribourg Olympic Basket, commonly known as Fribourg Olympic, is a Swiss professional basketball club that is based in Fribourg. Due to name sponsorship reasons, the former name of the club was Benetton Fribourg. The club is a seventeen-time Swiss ...

, where he won the

Swiss Basketball League The Swiss Basketball League, also known as SB League or SBL, is the top-tier professional club basketball league in Switzerland. It is organized by Swiss Basketball. The winners of the SBL are crowned Swiss national basketball champions. Current ...

title in 1996–97. After a stint for the Formula Shell Zoom in the Philippines he played in the LNB Pro B again in 1997–98 for

Angers BC 49 The Nationale Masculine 1, abbreviated as NM1, (English: National Male 1), is the professional level third-tier division of men's club basketball in France. The two top teams from each season of the competition are promoted to the LNB Pro B, whic ...

. He then spent two seasons with Formula Shell Zoom, earning an All-Star selection in 1998. In 2000 he transferred to

club

, in the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

. In the 2000–01 season he played a total of 32 games averaging 22.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.8 minutes, shooting 58.1% from the field (38.7% from three) and 85% from the free throw line, and was the top scorer of the league; he was also named the

BBL All-Star Game The BBL All-Star Game is the annual All-Star Game of the German first division basketball league, the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The event is based on the original NBA concept, and includes a slam dunk contest and a three-point shootout. Since ...

MVP in 2001. In 2001–02 he played 29 games with averages of 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.2 minutes per game (shooting 38.9% from three). In 2002–03 over 30 games he averaged 20.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals shooting 55.7% from the field (39.8% from three) and 85.3% from the line in 34.4 minutes per game. In 2003 he left Leverkusen for

: in 2003–04 he played 37 games in the Bundesliga (28 in the regular season, 9 in the playoffs) averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1 steal on 58.4% shooting from the field (40.6% from three) and 90.5% on free throws, thus recording a 50–40–90 season. He also played in the

with Alba Berlin played, appearing in 14 games, averaging 11 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 55.4% from the field (38.9% from three) and 90.5% from the free throw line. In 2004 he left Germany to go back to France, signing for

. In the 2004–05 LNB Pro A season Best played 33 games, with averages of 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting 39.3% from three and 92.3% from the free throw line in 29.3 minutes per game. He also appeared in the

2004–05 ULEB Cup The 2004–05 ULEB Cup was the third season of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, the EuroCup, which is organized by the Euroleague Basketball Company. The season started on November 9, 2004, and officially ...

with Élan Chalon, and played 10 games, averaging 15.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 53.6% from the field (41% from three) and 88.9% from the line. In the 2005–06 season he appeared in 32 games averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.1 minutes per game, and he retired after the 2006–07 season during which he played 33 games with averages of 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game.

References

External links

Career stats at ProBallers.comProfile at RealGM.com

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Best, John 1971 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Switzerland American men's basketball players Alba Berlin players Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Bayer Giants Leverkusen players Centers (basketball) Chorale Roanne Basket players Élan Chalon players Fribourg Olympic players Le Mans Sarthe Basket players Neptune High School alumni New Jersey Nets draft picks People from Neptune Township, New Jersey Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippine Basketball Association imports Piratas de Quebradillas players Power forwards (basketball) San Miguel Beermen players Shell Turbo Chargers players Basketball players from Monmouth County, New Jersey Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople